Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and New York, NY

For one person, living is cheaper in Phuket: $1,294 a month against $4,906 in New York, NY, rent and utilities included – about $43,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
234

Cost of Living Index in New York, NY
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New York, NY Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

New York, NY

🇺🇸 United States

$4,906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in New York, NY

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in New York, NY actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $4,906 in New York, NY, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
New York, NY $4,906

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $7,273 in New York, NY, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
New York, NY $7,273

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $9,641 in New York, NY, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
New York, NY $9,641

Phuket is about 74% cheaper than New York, NY, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Phuket sits 4% below the global median, while New York, NY is 263% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿148

$26.93 $26.93

-83.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,090

$117 $117

-72.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿294

$14.60 $14.60

-40.41%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.9

$6.54 $6.54

-58.41%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 ฿31.38

$3.86 $3.86

-75.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.85

$2.95 $2.95

-83.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.4

$8.08 $8.08

-68.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$9.85 $9.85

-63.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.7

$1.31 $1.31

32.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$4.97 $4.97

-70.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$7.70 $7.70

-80.52%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.3

$6.09 $6.09

-64.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿644

$19.55 $19.55

-2.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿115

$17.59 $17.59

-80.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿368

$20.26 $20.26

-46.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿99.2

$6.99 $6.99

-57.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.1

$2.21 $2.21

-23.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿74.0

$6.72 $6.72

-67.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.6

$7.12 $7.12

-70.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿49.19

$4.61 $4.61

-68.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿46.14

$4.78 $4.78

-71.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.29

$2.87 $2.87

-62.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.40

$2.69 $2.69

-79.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$19.14 $19.14

-76.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿616

$19.63 $19.63

-7.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.8

$3.32 $3.32

-46.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿97.2

$4.19 $4.19

-31.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$3.02 $3.02

-51.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,851

$139 $139

-60.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$3.04 $3.04

-50.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.17

$2.20 $2.20

-64.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$41.33 $41.33

-90.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿50.2

$1.13 $1.13

31.86%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.9K ฿906.7K

$34.5K $34.5K

-21.98%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.3K ฿888.6K

$25.8K $25.8K

1.92%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$97.8 ฿3,299

$232 $232

-57.90%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.29 ฿381

$71.0 $71.0

-84.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿580

$67.7 $67.7

-74.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,305

$115 $115

-40.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿368

$76.8 $76.8

-85.78%

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿251

$22.41 $22.41

-66.85%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$530 ฿17.9K

$3,606 $3,606

-85.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿633.5K

$68.7K $68.7K

-72.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,080

$79.3 $79.3

-22.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿953

$51.4 $51.4

-45.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,238

$121 $121

-20.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,928

$140 $140

-38.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.3K

$4,555 $4,555

-84.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.2K

$3,040 $3,040

-83.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.8K

$9,742 $9,742

-79.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿47.1K

$5,331 $5,331

-73.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿141.4K

$18.2K $18.2K

-77.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿111.3K

$6,685 $6,685

-50.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.6K

$5,096 $5,096

-90.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.89

-19.16%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for New York, NY: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

New York, NY

$3K 62% 497% $2.5K

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

New York, NY

$567 11.6% 113% $300

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

New York, NY

$371 7.6% 194% $245

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

New York, NY

$176 3.6% 43.8% $54

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

New York, NY

$425 8.7% 256% $306

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

New York, NY

$160 3.3% 92.6% $77

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

New York, NY

$165 3.4% 150% $99

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $721 in Phuket versus $4,555 in New York, NY. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in New York, NY are about 10 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket versus $117 in New York, NY. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $567 – making Phuket the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇸 New York, NY

🕒 Local time

18:50 6:50 PM

06:50 6:50 AM

12 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

8,804,190

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket New York, NY 14,570 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
New York, NY

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Phuket vs New York, NY: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

New York, NY costs about 279% more than Phuket, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,940 per month in Phuket and $7,358 in New York, NY. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Phuket, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $721 there versus $4,555 in New York, NY.

Kindergarten costs $530 per month in Phuket and $3,606 in New York, NY. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 113% more in New York, NY, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Phuket, where all-in costs run around $1,294, than in New York, NY at $4,906. In Phuket it covers expenses comfortably, while in New York, NY it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Phuket costs $1,294 versus $4,906 in New York, NY. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Phuket. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, New York, NY makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.